NJDC Commends Senate Judiciary Committee for Moving Forward on VRAA

The National Jewish Democratic Council today commended the Senate Judiciary Committee for setting a hearing date on the Voting Rights Amendment Act, starting the legislative process on the vital issue of voting rights.

Rabbi Jack Moline, Executive Director, made the following statement:

“Today we commend the Senate Judiciary Committee and Sen. Leahy for moving forward with the legislative process on the Voting Rights Amendment Act. The decision to hold this hearing on June 25th is relevant for two reasons: it marks the year anniversary of the Supreme Court decision weakening the Voting Rights Act; and it sets the stage for Congress to renew guarantees for all citizens to have access to their Constitutional right to vote.

“Our nation’s history speaks to the self-evident truth that all men and women are created equal; yet this is a truth we still struggle to protect. In America, everyone counts. And to be counted in this country means to have the right to vote on the formation and reinvention of government.

“The bipartisan VRAA bill contains commonsense safeguards for states and counties with patterns of voter discrimination, and it provides for reviews that remove those safeguards when they are no longer needed. The bill enjoys wide support from the religious and civil rights communities.

“It is hard to imagine any American considering voting rights protections to be objectionable. Public outcry over discrimination by a sports team owner and a rancher was near-universal. The disenfranchisement of American citizens from this most basic of civil rights ought to demand the same outrage by people of integrity.

“The time to move this bill forward is now - not tomorrow, not next month, not next year. Every day we delay passing the VRAA we leave American voters vulnerable.

“We are pleased the Senate is moving forward with this hearing, and we hope that the House Judiciary Committee will follow its lead.”